Tales from the Twisted Tunnels: 1st-edition-inspired reboot

[gaptooth]

Sept 21, 2018 21:06:34 GMT -5 order99 said:

Hmmm...so the Skills are now the Core mechanic for SRs, with the Ability Scores as a Resource/fuel ability?

Kind of. Skills are just what I'm calling the "Prime Attributes". The idea is to emphasize that all the skills you need are baked into your basic abilities.

Sept 21, 2018 21:06:34 GMT -5 order99 said:

How much deadlier is the game in your Playtesting with the 'Reeling' mechanic in play? Also, do you notice a difference in play with the smaller spread of Ability Scores for SRs?

The "reeling" mechanic kicks in most often when you get taken by surprise, overwhelmed with enemies, or the enemy otherwise hits you when you can't fight back. In those cases it's very deadly—as it should be.

The reason it doesn't come up as much in straight-up dueling is that the damage you take in one Clash is generally low. If you weren't ambushed or surrounded, then trading and parrying blows isn't as devastating.

It's still decisive, though, because the game rarely produces ties—never yet in my testing. And ablative armor means that there is still a toll from getting hit, even if it's not your Con that is counting down.

Sept 21, 2018 21:06:34 GMT -5 order99 said:

Also, is the current link updated as you go?

No, I haven't updated those pages in quite a long time. I am updating the playtest PDF just about every day now, and I will keep uploading the latest revisions to the link I sent you when I make major updates.

Sept 21, 2018 21:06:34 GMT -5 order99 said:

I'm still a bit confused how the Weapons work-a situational bonus maybe(any weapon vs. Unarmed, Polearm vs. Shortsword at range, Shortsword vs Polearm Up Close, etc?). In short are Weapons just Descriptors for when you do or do not get the Upper Hand?

The way it works mechanically has changed since I last updated the rules on my blog, but this is still essentially the same: Weapons determine your fictional advantage relative to the other fighters, if any. If your weapon doesn't offer any advantage over your opponent, and your enemy's weapon doesn't give them an advantage, then you both roll all your fighting dice.

I've considered, tested, and resolved not to use an advantage/disadvantage mechanic like the one in D&D 5th edition, though. Instead, not having the right weapon for the current situation makes you helpless—which is the main time you get hit hard. You can always use planning, tactics, stunts, and ad-hoc maneuvers to try to change the conditions of engagement, though.

Sept 21, 2018 21:06:34 GMT -5 order99 said:

I'd love that PDF you mentioned, but' No Hurry' as the Living say-good things take time...

Awesome, thank you! The link is sent. I'd love to hear any feedback you have. I won't be spamming you with updates, unless you ask me for notifications when I make major revisions.

Cheers, order99!

Edit: I wanted to add, I might have answered some other questions in my previous post on this thread, which happened to fall on the previous page of this one.

[gaptooth]

Three Fighting Styles

In Twisted Tunnels, we have 4 main types of weapons: Light weapons, reach weapons, buster weapons, and ranged. For this post, I want to focus on the first 3.

Light weapons include stuff like daggers, rapiers, and katanas (and much more).

Reach weapons are spears, spiked ball and chain, urumis, etc—anything that keeps your enemies from closing in on you. Reach weapons are heavy.

Buster weapons are big two-handed implements of destruction: Claymores, double-bitted axes, flanged maces, and so on. Buster weapons are very heavy.

Each weapon type has its advantages: they work differently in the fiction and have some mechanical differences too. Since Twisted Tunnels uses your Dexterity, Luck, and Strength for your fighting dice, how do we differentiate them?

The biggest advantage of light weapons is that they aren't heavy. You can carry 2 light weapons for the same encumbrance as a reach weapon, and you can carry 3 for the same encumbrance as a buster weapon.

But light weapons also allow you to have a shield equipped or wield 2 weapons at the same time, 1 in each hand. This is where they really shine. Your workaday dungeon delver can make an immediate follow-up action when they roll 3 or more sixes—but when you're wielding 2 light weapons, you can make a rapid follow-up attack when you roll 2 or more sixes. Skilled fighters can exploit this for a huge benefit.

Reach weapons let you hold enemies at bay as long as they don't swarm you on all sides. When you attack someone whose weapon can't reach you, they have a choice: They can suffer your attack as though helpless in order to get into a closer position, or do nothing but defend themselves from your attack, but you get double the fighting dice! When you are mobbed though, it's best to drop your reach weapon and pull out a light or buster weapon.

Buster weapons hit harder. When you hit someone with a buster weapon, they take double damage!

Let's have an example:

The rogue Fisher has 4|14 CON and 6 fighting dice. She is equipped with a rapier and main-gauche, 2 light weapons. She enters a domed chamber with seven exits. A shaft of light entering from a hole in the dome illuminates a pile of gemstones on a pedestal. Fisher dumps the gemstones in a sack when she hears foes beating a path toward her from the spiderweb of corridors. 5 dungeon skeletons rush her from all sides!

She drops the sack and brandishes her weapons against their rusty short swords. It's a free-for-all—everyone rolls their fighting dice!

Fisher rolls 1, 4, 4, 1, 6, and 3. We count the even dice as hits, and she gets 3 hits.

The skeletons have Monster Ratings of 4 each, rolling 6, 1, 3, 3, and 5. That's 1 hit.

Comparing the hits, Fisher wins the clash, and 2 hits of damage get through. In free-for-all, we add the number of fighters on the winning side to the damage, so that's 3 hits total.

She dances through her enemies, parrying blows above and below, and manages to land attacks on 3 of the skeletons. Their Monster Ratings are now 3, 3, 3, 4, and 4.

In the next clash, Fisher rolls 4, 4, 5, 4, 2, and 1. That's 4 hits!

The skeletons roll 1, 3, 3, 2, and 3—just 1 hit again.

Fisher wins again, this time with a margin of 3 hits. Add 1 again because it's free-for-all—4 hits total.

That leaves the skeletons with Monster Ratings of 2, 2, 2, 3, and 4. Since the monsters get fighting dice equal to their MR divided by 3, rounding down, 3 of the skeletons are disarmed or disabled out of the fight. Let's say Fisher knocked 2 of their heads off and they are bouncing around on the floor jaws a-chattering, and caved another's ribs in with a swift kick of her knee-high boots.

In the 3rd clash, Fisher rolls 6, 1, 1, 4, 6, and 4. That's 4 hits, and two are sixes!

The remaining skeletons roll 4 and 6. Since all the dice are hits, they can roll again, getting 4 and 4. That's another overflow, and their next re-roll gives them 4 and 5. 5 hits!

The skeletons win the round, adding 2 hits to the damage because of their advantage in numbers. Fisher takes 3 damage—knocking her Constitution score down to 11.

This time the skeletons fight with unexpected ferocity, knocking Fisher off-balance for a moment, and she takes a nick on her left cheek. But before the blood even forms a drop, her eyes narrow and her sword flashes in a spectacular combo—she spends the 2 sixes to get in a rapid attack before the skeletons can react.

This time she rolls 1, 2, 6, 2, 3, and 4—that's 4 hits. Add 1 again because it's free-for-all, and the skeletons have to share the 5 damage. In a whirlwind of fury, Fisher reduces them to a scattered jumble of bones. She picks up the bag of gems, stomps on he hopping skeleton head and another skeletons femur to knock the remaining disabled skeletons to bits before they can recover.

This is for zanshin, since you like combat examples. I'll try to follow up shortly with examples of the other two "styles".

[gaptooth]

[About halfway through writing that example, I realized it would have been better for the example to give Fisher enemies of flesh and blood. In hindsight, I would give the skeletons some resistance against thrusting blades like those. But I didn't want go back and re-write for the sake of such a small quibble.]

Along comes the barbarian Mayhew, creeping quietly out of a darkened hall into a vaulted chamber. Sunlight slants down through undulating waves of dust from a skylight, illuminating a heap of bones behind an empty pedestal. As his eyes adjust, Mayhew makes out scattered bones all over the room, and then he sees a sparse trail of dark dots—a trickle of blood, recently dried. The dots form a jagged spiral around the room, and out into the opposite corridor.

Mayhew's matted hair bristles as he hears clattering footsteps approach from several hallways that adjoin the chamber. Enemies! He shoulder's his massive khanda, a buster weapon, like a baseball batter awaiting a pitch. His eyes narrow into dark slits as he slowly turns, keeping his back to the pedestal.

In rush a half-dozen skeletons—but these fellows went to the armory first! In addition to their short sabres, they are wearing bucklers on their arms, and fashionable pot helms. Since most armor is ablative, we can just add 2 to their Monster Ratings for the helms—bringing their MRs up to 6 each. The bucklers, on the other hand, offer ongoing protection every exchange, until they take shattering damage in a single blow. For bucklers, that's 2 or more hits at one time.

Beyond the rushing skeletons, Mayhew glimpses two blazing eyes watching from one of the darkened halls.

The skeletons circle Mayhew, looking for a chance to strike. He eyes them like a lion, ready to tear them apart. Mayhew has 6 fighting dice and a Constitution of 6|18.

Battle is met. In a free-for-all, we determine a leader of each side, usually the one with the most fighting dice. Since the skeletons are even, we pick one by fiat. His 6 MR gives him 2 fighting dice, and we add 1 for each additional fighter on his side—that's 11 fighting dice.

Edit: I guess I was tired when I wrote this, because 2 + 5 does not make 11. This example gives the 6 skeletons the fighting dice of 10. I Reimagined the example here, using the correct number of dice.

Mayhew rolls 6, 2, 5, 2, 4, and 1. That's 4 hits.

The skeletons roll 4, 1, 5, 5, 3, 6, 2, 4, 1, 5, and 2. Counting the evens, that gives us 4 hits.

The underdog rule in Twisted Tunnels gives ties to the side that rolled fewer dice—that means Mayhew wins the exchange by 1 hit. We add 1 more since it's a free-for-all. That makes 2 damage. But wait! Mayhew's buster weapon deals double damage, giving us a total of 4 hits!

The skeletons handily parry that damage with their bucklers, but Mayhew has 1 more trick as a warrior. He spends the six he rolled—we call it a style point—to add an extra hit that bores through their defenses. Double it, and it deals 2 damage.

The skeletons have rained blows down on him mercilessly, but his great haymaker chops have managed not only to deflect their assault, but also put some new notches in their shields. In one telling overhand hack, he splits one skeleton's helm, leaving it with a Monster Rating of 4.

(I might have given these skeletons the same ability to deal piercing damage for each style point they spend, and they could have used that here. But these are just standard-issue skeletons in borrowed armor, not undead warriors.)

"Crush him," says a chilling voice from beneath the blazing eyes. "I want the bones of this one for my collection!"

Even though 1 of their number had his fighting dice drop by 1 when fighting as an individual, the skeletons still get 11 fighting dice in free-for-all: 2 for their leader, and 1 for each additional fighter still standing.

The skeletons crush in around Mayhew, rolling 6, 2, 1, 4, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5, 2, and 5. That makes 6 hits.

Mayhew fights like a cornered tiger, rolling 6, 6, 4, 6, 2, and 1. That gives him 5 hits, and 3 style points to spend.

The skeletons still win the exchange by 1 hit. Add 6 for their advantage in numbers, and Mayhew suffers 7 damage, dropping his Constitution score to 11.

Ouch! Mayhew only has 6 Constitution dice, and taking 7 damage all at once means he is reeling. If he takes any more damage before he catches his breath, he must Save Or Die!

But he hasn't spent those style points yet. 3 style points give him 3 hits, and again his buster weapon deals double damage, ignoring the enemies' defenses. That's 6 damage total.

This time his khanda smites through the sabre of the fighter whose helm was shattered—dropping his MR to 2, and disabling the creature. A backward stroke crushes the helm of a skeleton attacking Mayhew from behind, knocking her MR to 4. Then a forward sweep of the khanda shatters the exposed clavicle and a few ribs of another skeleton, taking his MR down to 4 as well.

The skeletons Monster Ratings are now 2, 4, 4, 6, 6, and 6—with the weakest skeleton being out of the fight. Now they have just 10 fighting dice: 2 for their leader, and 1 for each of the four remaining fighters.

Mayhew lets out a bellowing roar!

The skeletons press the attack, rolling 6, 5, 6, 5, 2, 6, 2, 3, 2, and 6. That's 6 hits again!

Mayhew rolls 5, 4, 3, 2, 3, 1. Oof! 2 hits. What are you doing Mayhew?

The skeletons win the exchange, dealing 5 damage, plus 5 for their remaining upper hand in numbers. That's 10 damage.

Mayhew's savagery is no match for the blinding pain of the staggering blows he took in the last clash, and now he fails to parry the shower of sabre strikes that cut him down.

Mayhew's Constitution score drops to 1! Because he was already reeling, now he must make a Saving Roll (using Luck, of course). If he fails, he will be dead. If he makes it, he can hang on to life, barely, but he will be disabled until someone takes care of his wounds.

Mayhew's Luck gives him 5 dice for the Saving Roll. Since he is on level 1 of the dungeon, he only needs 1 hit to make the Saving Roll. The dice give him 5, 5, 5, 3, and 6—he got the 1 hit he needed.

Mayhew falls under the hail of crippling blows, showering the skeletons in stripes of his blood. But he grits his teeth as a blazing fury tells him he must stay alive, to get his vengeance.

"WAIT!", commands the voice from the corridor. "I must speak an incantation over him before he dies. Drag him to the altar!"

Four of the skeletons grab Mayhew by his bloody hair and arms, hauling him like dead meat through the dirt and bones and leaving a broad stripe of blood in their wake. They follow the hidden figure through a corridor as the failing light filtering through opening above the room slants further away from the pedestal.

[gaptooth]

I finally updated my character sheet to accord with the latest beta.

Link

I have some minor layout tweaks in mind, but this ought to be serviceable for now.

I'll try to set aside time for the 3rd combat example featuring reach weapons soon—probably next week.

[gaptooth]

Looking back, I made a really dumb error in Mayhew's combat example above. I gave the skeletons a lot more combat dice than they should have had, even though I explained the rule correctly!

Battle is met. In a free-for-all, we determine a leader of each side, usually the one with the most fighting dice. Since the skeletons are even, we pick one by fiat. His 6 MR gives him 2 fighting dice, and we add 1 for each additional fighter on his side—that's 11 fighting dice.

That should have given them 7 fighting dice, not 11. It's such a dumb error I can't account for it at all. I suppose I was just tired and made 7 into 11 because they rhyme?



The above example would have been solid if Mayhew were up against 10 skeletons instead of 6.

But without those extra dice, Mayhew would likely have hewn through the 6 skeletons. Let's look again, keeping the same rolls and just cutting the skeletons off after 7.

---

Battle is met. In a free-for-all, we determine a leader of each side, usually the one with the most fighting dice. Since the skeletons are even, we pick one by fiat. His 6 MR gives him 2 fighting dice, and we add 1 for each additional fighter on his side—that's 7 fighting dice.

Mayhew rolls 6, 2, 5, 2, 4, and 1. That's 4 hits.

The skeletons roll 4, 1, 5, 5, 3, 6, and 2. Counting the evens, that gives us 3 hits.

Mayhew wins the exchange by 1 hit. We add 1 more since it's a free-for-all. That makes 2 damage. But wait! Mayhew's buster weapon deals double damage, giving us a total of 4 hits!

The skeletons handily parry that damage with their bucklers, but Mayhew has 1 more trick as a warrior. He spends the six he rolled—we call it a style point—to add an extra hit that bores through their defenses. Double it, and it deals 2 damage.

The skeletons have rained blows down on him mercilessly, but his great haymaker chops have managed not only to deflect their assault, but also put some new notches in their shields. In one telling overhand hack, he splits one skeleton's helm, leaving it with a Monster Rating of 4.

"Crush him," says a chilling voice from beneath the blazing eyes. "I want the bones of this one for my collection!"

Even though 1 of their number had his fighting dice drop by 1 when fighting as an individual, the skeletons still get 7 fighting dice in free-for-all: 2 for their leader, and 1 for each additional fighter still standing.

The skeletons crush in around Mayhew, rolling 6, 2, 1, 4, 4, 2, and 1. That makes 5 hits.

Mayhew fights like a cornered tiger, rolling 6, 6, 4, 6, 2, and 1. That gives him 5 hits, and 3 style points to spend.

The underdog rule in Twisted Tunnels gives ties to the side that rolled fewer dice—that means Mayhew wins the exchange by 1 hit. Double that, and Mayhew's khanda shatters the buckler of the fighter whose helm was shattered. A buckler can take 1 damage from every exchange, but more than that makes it unusable.

But he hasn't spent those style points yet. 3 style points give him 3 hits, and again his buster weapon deals double damage, ignoring the enemies' defenses. That's 6 damage total.

This time his khanda smites through the sabre of the fighter whose helm was shattered—dropping his MR to 2, and disables the creature. A backward stroke crushes the helm of a skeleton attacking Mayhew from behind, knocking her MR to 4. Then a forward sweep of the khanda shatters the exposed clavicle and a few ribs of another skeleton, taking his MR down to 4 as well.

The skeletons Monster Ratings are now 2, 4, 4, 6, 6, and 6—with the weakest skeleton being out of the fight. Now they have just 6 fighting dice: 2 for their leader, and 1 for each of the four remaining fighters.

Mayhew lets out a bellowing roar!

The skeletons press the attack, rolling 6, 5, 6, 5, 2, and 6. That's 4 hits!

Mayhew rolls 5, 4, 3, 2, 3, 1. Oof! 2 hits. What are you doing Mayhew?

The skeletons win the exchange, dealing 2 damage, plus 5 for their remaining upper hand in numbers. That's 4 damage. Their sabres rake Mayhew with scratches, but he is unfazed. (If they had done more damage than his 6 Constitution dice, he would be reeling.)

Mayhew's Constitution score drops to 14. [This was the exchange that felled him in the alternate reality where 6 skeletons fought like 10, but here his vigor has not ebbed.]

5 skeletons now circle Mayhew like jackals. Suddenly, he kicks at the pedestal, a wide cylinder of stone—he wants to knock it down to cut off a few of the skeletons momentarily from the fight. The referee calls for a Saving Roll (on Luck, of course). If he succeeds, 2 of the skeletons to his right will be forced back by the rolling pedestal. If he fails, the 3 skeletons to his left and rear will seize the moment to attack him helpless.

Mayhew's Luck gives him 5 dice for the Saving Roll. Since he is on level 1 of the dungeon, he only needs 1 hit to make the Saving Roll. The dice give him 5, 5, 5, 3, and 6—he got the 1 hit he needed.

In a swift, brutal choreography of fury, Mayhew knocks the granite pedestal rolling, and 2 of the skeletons leap back while he wheels his massive blade around against the skeletons behind him.

Mayhew rolls 6, 1, 6, 1, 6, and 4. That's 4 hits, and 3 style points. Mayhew, we are back in business!

The 3 skeletons have Monster Ratings of 6, 6, and 6, giving them 2 fighting dice for their leader, and 1 more for each of the other 2 fighters—4 dice.

They roll 2, 4, 6, and 5: 3 hits.

Mayhew wins this exchange by 1 hit, plus 1 because we're in free-for-all, and doubles the damage because of his buster weapon—cleaving through another buckler (2 damage), and shattering the skeletal arm behind it—reducing the creature's MR to 4.

Then he spends his style points, cracking the helm of 1 fighter, smashing the jaw of another with the hilt of his khanda, and splintering an exposed pelvis of another with a low chop. Each of these 3 hits deal double damage, reducing their Monster Ratings to 2, 4, and 4. Another skeleton is disabled.

The other skeletons have climbed around and over the pedestal by now, and they are ready to re-join the fight as ancient dust wafts through the slanting light. All together, their Monster Ratings are 4, 4, 4, and 4. In free-for-all, they now get 1 die for their leader, and 1 for each ally, or 4 dice total.

Mayhew throws them a domineering growl as his smoldering gaze meet the blazing eyes that look on him from the hall.

"What are you waiting for, you fools?", the icy voice calls out. "Bring him down!"

The skeletons rush Mayhew again slashing desperately with their sabres, rolling 1, 2, 6, 4. That gives them 3 hits.

Mayhew welcomes them with brutal strokes of his khanda, rolling 4, 6, 1, 3, 2, and 2. That's 4 hits, and 1 style point.

Mayhew wins the exchange with 1 hit, plus 1 because this is free-for-all, and again we double the damage. His blade splits another skeleton's buckler (2 hits), and he fiercely drives the blade into crumbling ribs, dropping the skeleton's MR to 2—he's disabled.

Then, he spends his style point to bring the blade back on a direct arc into the face of a skeleton lunging at him from behind. Crunch! That skeleton's MR drops to 2 also, taking him out of the fight.

And now there are two.

The skeletons hang back for a moment, cowering behind their shields. The voice from the hallway issues another order:

"Do you wish to go back to the torments from which I summoned you? Finish him!"

Mayhew lets out a peal of rumbling laughter, and blood runs off his arms and chest from multiple lacerations.

The skeletons steel themselves and assail Mayhew in a final, desperate rush. They get just 2 fighting dice.

The skeletons roll 4 and 6—it's an overflow. Rolling again, they get 3 and 4. That's 3 hits total.

Buoyed with laughter, Mayhew hesitates in his defense, rolling 1, 6, 5, 5, 1, and 4. That's 2 hits, and 1 style point.

The round goes to the skeletons. Mayhew takes 1 damage, plus 2 for their superior numbers in the free-for-all. But his Constitution score is still 11, and the pain merely brings focus.

Mayhew spends the style point, bringing his khanda down on the scapula of one of the staggering enemies. Doubling the damage, the skeleton's MR is reduced to 2, and she is out of the fight.

The barbarian doesn't miss a beat, and leaps on the lone opponent like a panther, rolling 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, and 3. That gives Mayhew 2 hits.

The skeleton makes a panicked attempt to parry the strike, rolling 5 on his sole fighting die.

The skeleton's blade is too late, but he raises his buckler just in time. It shatters under the double damage of Mayhew's blade (2 hits), and then Mayhew's full weight collides with the skeleton, sending bones scattering. The creature's MR drops to 2, and he is disabled.

"You ruined my skeletons!" declares the voice from beneath the blazing eyes. "I've had about enough from you."

The shadow steps forward, lowering a lance like a jagged boar-spear at Mayhew.

[gaptooth]

Storming out of the shadows, a fighter with a shaggy grey beard and hair charges Mayhew with a keen-pointed lance—a reach weapon—with a Monster Rating of 20 and 6 fighting dice to throw.

Mayhew has a choice: He can suffer the full attack as if helpless, in order to get the greybeard in striking range of his khanda; or he can merely defend himself against double the greybeard's fighting dice.

Supposing Mayhew takes the former track. When you are helpless, you count all the attacker's fighting dice as damage, and then the attacker rolls again as if they rolled an overflow. That could be catastrophic: It would be at least 6 damage, and most likely 9 or more—leaving him reeling in one blow.

He opts to stand in defense, rolling 4, 6, 6, 6, 2, and 2. That gives him 6 hits and an overflow. Rolling again, he gets 2, 6, 4, 1, 1, and 2. That's a total of 10 hits and 4 style points.

Greybeard rolls roll 1, 2, 6, 6, 1, 4, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, and 4. That's 7 hits, and 3 style points.

Mayhew wins the exchange, savagely parrying several impaling blows. But he wasn't in range to draw blood from his opponent, so the 3 hits he got over the greybeard are in vain: His blade carves the air ferociously.

"Oh, you're so bloodthirsty!", cackles the bearded figure with blazing eyes. "I love it! Your bones will make a mighty centerpiece in my collection."

It's time to spend style points, and Mayhew has 4. In addition to his warrior ability to spend style points for bonus damage, there are some things anyone can get for their style points:

You can spend 1 style point to...
Find a useful item or handy terrain feature within reach. The referee will tell you what.

You can spend 2 style points to...
Pull out a useful object from a pocket or backpack that you didn’t know you had.
Call for a sudden ally. The referee will tell you who.
Immediately add 1 to any waning score.

You can spend 3 style points to...
Immediately take another action, before anyone else.

You can spend 1 or more style points to...
Trigger a special effect of an item or location.
Activate a monster weakness, if any.
Tell your ideas to the referee. If it’s feasible, the referee will tell you how many style points it will take.

Mayhew spends 1 style point to note a useful item or handy terrain feature within reach. The referee points out that there is some crumbling masonry directly over the beareded figure—it might be dislodged with a good whack.

Mayhew spends his other 3 style points for an immediate follow-up action, before the greybeard can act: Following through on one of his parries, he heaves his khanda in an overhand throw directly into the weak masonry, causing a cascade of stones to collapse on his enemy.

The referee determines that this structural cave-in could be fatal to a normal person, so the greybeard must suffer 3d6 damage, and Mayhew must make a Saving Roll to evade the debris.

The damage is 3, 4, and 3—that's 10 damage total, reducing the greybeard's Monster Rating to 10.

This is still dungeon level 1, but the dim light increases the Saving Roll threat by 1 level. So Mayhew needs 2 hits.

Mayhew rolls his 5 Luck dice and gets 1, 2, 6, 3, and 4. 3 hits means he makes it clear of the larger stones.

But now Mayhew is unarmed. He hears his enemy groan from the dust cloud, and quickly snatches up a rock and a solid femur from the littered chamber. When the dust clears, he sees the blazing eyes peer out at him. The bearded figure stands upright, covered thickly in dust, gripping his spear.

Mayhew immediately heaves the rock at his enemy's head. Long shots against a monster are resolved by rolling your Dexterity dice, and the enemy is helpless. We count Mayhew's 2 dice in Dexterity as damage and then roll again—3 and 5. That's 2 damage total.

The rock bounces off the shoulder of Mayhew's enemy while he sets his spear to charge Mayhew. Now the bearded figure's Monster Rating is 8, giving him just 2 fighting dice.

Mayhew decides to mirror his enemy's charge this time, trying to get in range to kill the greybeard with the club of bone. That means Mayhew is helpless. We count the enemy's 2 fighting dice as damage, and roll them for 3 and 2—that's 3 hits total.

Mayhew rushes forward, and the spear savagely rakes his protruding trapezius, narrowly missing his throat. His Constitution score is now 8, but he is now close enough to hit with the femur.

Mayhew rolls 2, 4, 3, 2, 2, and 6, giving him 5 hits and 1 style point.

Greybeard rolls 1 and 3—no hits.

The enemy must take 5 damage, and Mayhew spends his style point to deal 1 more. (The bone doesn't count as a buster weapon, so we don't double the damage this time.) That leaves the greybeard with a Monster Rating of 2, and no fighting dice.

Mayhew uses the club to land a brutal blow against the man's left temple and eye socket, and he hears a crunch; then he knocks the spear away.

The bearded figure looks up with one blazing eye—the other is filled with blood.

"Kill me! I won't submit to you!"

Another combat example for you zanshin!

[gaptooth]

After more playtesting, it became clear I was making too many squirrelly edge cases in the rules, and I'm fixing that in my most recent pass.

The first change is the least consequential, but it was what opened the door: I got a lot of feedback that counting the "even" numbers as successes wasn't as intuitive as "rolling high = better". Changing it to count the dice that come up 4 or higher instead of evens gives identical probability, but lets people trust their expectations that rolling higher is better.

The second change is more consequential, but it simplifies the opposed roll mechanic (the Clash). Here's the previous version, in summary:

1. Each side rolls their fighting dice (or dice for the relevant skill).
2. Each side counts their successes.
3. The side with more successes wins.
4. Subtract the loser's successes from the winner's successes.
5. The difference is counted as damage against the loser.
6. Damage comes off the loser's Constitution score or MR.
(Between 5 and 6, damage might be mitigated by armor.)

I found a way to eliminate the subtraction step in the middle; it speeds up the resolution of each roll, AND it makes each roll more impactful.

1. Each side rolls their fighting dice (or dice for the relevant skill).
2. Each side counts their successes.
3. The side with more successes wins.
4. The loser takes damage equal to the highest single number rolled by the winner.
5. Damage comes off the loser's Constitution score or MR.

Faster, more decisive combat!

This change unlocked other ways to streamline the game. Instead of having buster weapons deal double damage, for example, I could have them use the highest 2 dice for damage. I also dumped doubling the attack dice with a reach weapon, etc.

But it also got me fiddling with the rule for group melee—"Free-for-all". And I managed to simplify that significantly too:

Free-for-all
When all the fighters swarm together in mêlée, it's a free-for-all.

On the delvers' side, each player will say what they are doing and roll whatever fighting dice they can. Each player then assigns 1 number from their roll (usually the highest) as damage against 1 opponent. Anyone using a buster weapon can assign 2 numbers from their roll.

On the monsters' side, the referee will choose a leader, usually one with the most fighting dice. Roll the leader's fighting dice, +1 die for each fighter supporting them–or +2 dice for each heavy hitter. After rolling, the referee keeps 1 die for each monster, or 2 for each heavy hitter, and assigns each number to an opponent as damage.

Mêlée is frantic and deadly. At least you won't die of boredom!

This turns melee into a bloodbath, to be avoided. Dueling is much safer, especially if you have a way of keeping the enemy at bay. And, of course, ranged combat or sneaking is much more appealing. And as a consequence of the deadlier combat, I made it slightly easier to recover your stamina—Fighting Fantasy style.

I'll try to write up a new combat example soon to demonstrate the streamlined rules.

If I sent you a link to the playtest file, the file is updated now!

[gaptooth]

This is Aeriesmund, a warrior armed with a dōtanuki (buster, very heavy), a Swiss dagger (light), an aketon (2 armor), and a hauberk (4 armor, heavy).

Dice	Skill	Score
1	Charisma	11
5	Constitution	15
1	Dexterity	11
2	Intelligence	12
6	Luck	16
4	Strength	14
4	Fighting dice	-

This is Eni, a maverick armed with 2 falchions (light), an aketon (2 armor), and a helm (2 armor).

Dice	Skill	Score
3	Charisma	13
4	Constitution	14
3	Dexterity	13
1	Intelligence	11
4	Luck	14
4	Strength	14
4	Fighting dice	-

This is Swithwine, a warlock armed with a staff (magical device), a khopesh (light), and an aketon (2 armor).

Dice	Skill	Score
2	Charisma	12
6	Constitution	16
1	Dexterity	11
5	Intelligence	15
6	Luck	16
1	Strength	11
1	Fighting dice	-

This is Leofgyr, a warrior armed with a flammenschwert (buster, very heavy), a xiphos (light), an aketon (2 armor), and a target shield (4 armor, heavy).

Dice	Skill	Score
3	Charisma	13
6	Constitution	16
4	Dexterity	14
3	Intelligence	13
2	Luck	12
6	Strength	16
6	Fighting dice	-

Old Ealdgeat, the village elder, asked them to investigate a spate of recent burglaries. Livestock was taken from several farms at night,  followed by the murder of Lady Godgyth's husband. Iron-shod footprints lead to a nearby cave, but none of the villagers have the mettle to face armed killers.

The party marches into the darkened cave mouth, into a narrow, crooked tunnel.

GM: "Aeriesmund, you see a a dim light ahead, and you hear awful voices speaking. If you keep going forward, your heavy footsteps will betray you. What do you do?"

Aeriesmund: "I tell the others. 'Heroes, we got enemies up ahead. How do we want to play this—snake or bull?'"

Eni: "If I take off my helm, I'm nimble enough to move silently. Maybe I can scout ahead and take their measure?"

She looks around, and they all nod.

Eni: "I hand my helm to Aeriesmund as I pass, and creep forward slowly and quietly, keeping to the shadows. How far is it?"

[In Twisted Tunnels, you automatically succeed at hiding and creeping as long as you are not carrying too much, and you don't do anything to draw attention and no one is actively looking for you.]

GM: "10 paces, 20 paces, 30 paces—the tunnel opens out into a chamber about 30' by 30', roughly square, shrouded in shadow, except for a lantern on a makeshift table to the right. Is it a wagon? Anyway, two small grotesque-looking men in grungy tunics sit aways back from the lantern on a hay-strewn dirt floor, cackling with delight. You can see iron shoes on their feet. A third misshapen figure squats behind the wagon, performing sock-puppet comedy for the others in high-pitched caterwauling exclamations."

Eni: "Are they armed?"

GM: "Yes, you can see a long knife hanging from one of their belts, and another is using a similar knife, very dirty, to clean under his hook-like toenails. Three shortbows lean on the wall nearby, beside three quivers of arrows. If they heard anyone approaching, they could take those up and get an arrow nocked in each before your people got in striking range."

Eni: "Can I see anything else useful in the room?"

GM: "The walls—and especially the corners—are shrouded in gloom, but you can just make out a wooden door on the opposite side of the chamber. Roots hang from the ceiling, but you can tell that this chamber isn't a natural cave—though it's been overtaken by nature, this was once shaped and built by human hands."

Eni: "Okay, I carefully head back to the others and tell them what's up. 'Guys, I saw 3 of them. I don't know what they were—half-human, I guess, but gross—and they had knives and bows within reach. I say we bull-rush them. We can't surprise them, but I'm sure they can't get more than one shot off before we hit, and hit hard.' I put my helm back on."

Swithwine: "'Wait. Maybe I could go to them unarmed, with a skin of wine, and make friends with them. Then, you guys can rush in while everyone is drinking, and get the drop on them.'"

Leofgyr: "'Are you sure you want to put yourself into the lion's mouth, Swithwine?'"

Swithwine: "'I'll have my staff, if there's any trouble.'"

Leofgyr: "'Fine. Then you have my pledge the Layli will get your heirlooms and your share of the treasure should you die.'"

Swithwine: "I wink. 'Thank you, noble lady.' I leave my khopesh here and take out the wineskin. I hobble forward, leaning heavily on my staff like a walking stick. As I get toward the light, I say 'Hello, hello? Wayfarers? I have brought you a gift from the village elder!'"

[This calls for a reaction roll, which is just a Luck Saving Roll. Usually, we use the lowest Luck in the group, but since Swithwine is acting alone, we use his. He has 6 Luck dice, and this is level 2 of the dungeon, so he needs 2 marks to make it.]

GM: "Make a Luck Saving Roll."

Swithwine: "I got 3, 3, 1, 6, 5, and 6. That's 3 marks!"

GM: "Okay, you hobble forward, and you see 3 malformed little men peer at you as you enter a large chamber: Two are turning around, standing between you and a wagon with a lantern on it, and a third stands up behind the cart. At the end of mottled, gangly limbs, you see their hands hook around ugly knives.

"But when you hold forth the wineskin, they lower their blades. Wide, toothy grins spread across their twisted faces. The one closest to you grunts a command at you, motioning for you to hand him the wineskin."

Swithwine: "Do I know their language? I try to make it out."

GM: "Okay, that's an Intelligence Saving Roll."

Swithwine: "I got 6, 1, 2, 4, and 2. That's 2 marks."

GM: "Yes, you've heard this speech in your nightmares before. You can speak to and understand these creatures. What did you call them in your dream?"

Swithwine: "Ooh, these are goblins—no mistake. I address them in their own language: 'Hey, rubes!' (They don't respect anyone who doesn't insult them, you know.) 'The village elder sent me with this dizzy juice as a gift for you nimrods. He wants you to know we celebrate goblinkin, get blitzed!' I hand him the wine."

GM: "He grasps at the wineskin, taking it over to the wagon. They sheath their knives and produce tin cups from a sack under the cart. The goblin holding the skin pours out four crude snifters—'One for Feeble Man', he says, waving you over to the wagon and pushing the cup toward you. They immediately throw the wine back."

Swithwine: "Before they get the wine to their mouths, I call out, raising my cup: 'A toast! To the big leader. You?', I point my cup to the one behind the cart with the sock puppets. Is he their leader?"

GM: "No, he looks surprised. 'Not leader. Leader Glumgroat.' His beady eyes dart toward the door. He looks nervous. 'Glumgroat is no good creep. We do all the work!'"

Swithwine: "'And fine work you do, wicked and malignant I mean. Let's toast you! Your name?'"

GM: "'Earg', he says."

Swithwine: "'To Earg.'"

GM: "'To Earg,' they all repeat. They fall to on the wine, it's not enough to get them drunk, but they do seem good and distracted."

Swithwine: "'Aeriesmund, now!' I grip my staff and quickly move backward toward the corner opposite the entryway. Then I lower my staff toward Earg and cast Death Stare."

[The normal cost of Death Stare is 6, and half that with a magical device. Swithwine marks off 3 Strength, reducing his score to 8. The "goblins" have Monster Ratings of 4 each (6 when armed with their bows, but they are still dropping their cups). Swithwine's spell hits Earg for 5 damage (equal to his Intelligence dice).]

GM: "You see the puppeteer crumple and fall backwards. A smoky ghost escapes from his gaping mouth and disappears into the gloom."

Aeriesmund: "We run in!"

Eni and Leofgyr nod.

GM: "You all clatter in just in time to see 2 other 'goblins' step out of the shadows, shrouded in tattered, inky cloaks and holding heavy scimitars. The other 2 goblins are making a dash for their bows by the cart. You see Swithwine's shadowy form in the corner opposite you. What do you do?"

Eni: "Can I get by the lurkers before they are in striking range?"

GM: "Sure."

Eni: "Okay, I'm going to run past them and try to hit one of archers before he gets an arrow nocked."

Aeriesmund: "I guess I'll kill one of these guys with the scimitars. Are you with me, Leofgyr?"

Leofgyr: "Aye."

GM: "Eni, since the 'goblin' is busy stringing his bow he is helpless while you attack. Roll your fighting dice."

Eni: "4, 2, 1, and 5. That's 2 marks, and the highest number is 5."

GM: "When they are helpless, you deal your highest die in damage, plus 1 for every mark you roll. So that's 7 damage. Your falchions cut him down in his tracks. But the other goblin has his bow strung and he leaps up on the wagon beside the lantern.

"Aeriesmund and Leofgyr, you're in free-for-all. Roll those fighting dice."

Aeriesmund: "5, 2, 6, and 5."

Leofgyr: "3, 4, 6, 6, 3, and 3."

GM: "Okay, I rolled 5, 2, 5, 3, and 1 for the 'goblins' in the inky cloaks. [Their Monster Ratings are 11 each, giving them 3 fighting dice for the first, +2 for his partner since she is using a buster weapon.]"

Aeriesmund: "My dōtanuki is a buster weapon, so I can assign 2 dice from my roll as damage. 6 + 5 is 11 damage. I hit him in the face!"

Leofgyr: "My flammenschwert is a buster weapon too. That gives me 6 and 6—12 damage!"

GM: "Leofgyr, you exchange blows with the tougher 'goblin'. [Assigning the two 5s from the monsters' roll:] She hits you for 10 damage. It's a messy cut, and you are reeling—where did she hit you? But you did her in—do you want to describe the take-down?"

Leofgyr: "Yikes! That tears through my aketon (soaking 2 hits) and drops my Constitution score to 8! I guess she gave me a wicked gash across my belly. I didn't even feel it before I drove my blade through her heart, though. After that, I tip my sword at an angle and put my foot on her body to pull it out." [Leofgyr could have deflected even more damage with her target shield, but she was using a two-handed weapon.]

GM: "Your turn, Aeriesmund. [Assigning the 2 and 3 as damage:] The other swordsman hits you for 5 damage, but you killed him as well. Do you want to say what happened?"

Aeriesmund: "That leaves my hauberk hanging around me (soaking 4 hits), and I take the last hit on my aketon, which is still intact—so I'm not even winded yet. I parry his strikes, before decapitating him in a clean, horizontal swipe."

GM: "His head goes rolling into the shadow, while a wailing smoky form escapes from the mouth of Leofgyr's opponent. The archer on the cart gives out a shriek, and throws his bow aside. He kneels, facing down with his hands up. He's speaking rapidly, franticly chattering in a pleading, desperate voice."

Swithwine: "I hold my left hand up, giving the sign to pause, while still gripping my staff in my right. What is he saying?"

GM: "'Please! Please, my mongrel lords. I acknowledge that you are the meanest cusses around.' He makes eye contact with you, Swithwine: 'Please, take me as your slave. Do not kill me. I can serve you! I can tell you secrets of Glumgroat!'"

[gaptooth]

Errata:

- After a successful roll to decipher a language, the player has a choice: They can add it to their limited list of languages known (as above), or keep the language slot clear and roll to decipher each new communication.

- The GM wouldn't declare that Leofgyr was reeling until after the damage got through her armor. When I was writing the GM's comment, I wasn't thinking about armor yet.

[gaptooth]

Hallowed Eve Twisted Tunnels game, this Saturday
I have seats open for a Hallowe'en 1-shot of Twisted Tunnels this Saturday, 27 October:
- 6pm–9:30pm London!
- 1pm–4:30pm Eastern!
- 10am–1:30pm Pacific!
- 2am–5:30am Tokyo!

The venue is Discord video chat. Character sheets and handouts on Google Docs. Let me know what questions you have!

No previous experience with Twisted Tunnels or T&T required. Character creation is quick and mostly random.

I can send you the current PDF draft if you want to check it out, but no prior reading is required to play.

[mahrundl]

I'd be tempted, but since the closest timezone there to me is Tokyo, I have to teach high school maths a few hours after the end of the session, and I REALLY need my beauty sleep^*, I'm going to have to pass.

I hope that you get enough people and have a rollicking good time though!

^* Do not think for a moment that I'm kidding when I say this...

[ProfGremlin]

My thanks for the open-invite, Gaptooth. I'll have to sadly decline, I'll be in the middle of a Vampire: the Masquerade session at that time period. Even though I have a laptop and access to Wi-Fi I can't see the others at the table happy with me running in two games simultaneously. Well... unless I was playing a Malkavian who are known for their mental instability... But, I'm playing a Gangrel so I don't think that explanation will fly.

[gaptooth]

mahrundl, I'd keep a spot open for you just in case you could make it to any of the other time zones, but that sounds like even less time for beauty sleep.

[gaptooth]

ProfGremlin, play the same character in both games, giving identical instructions for each. I'll work with the other GM to make sure our scenarios offer parallel opportunities for action, albeit with the tunnels more twisted on my side.

[gaptooth]

Here's some more info about tomorrow's session. I still have room for 1 more at the moment:

The Shadow King's Banquet: A Castlevania-style Kung Fu Hustle
The year is 1797. The Sultan's sister was kidnapped while visiting the fantasy Balkan peninsula on a matter of state, and rumors abound that the Castle Dracula has appeared amid a cloud of iron flies like a sprawling labyrinthine Babel. You are a dungeon demolition team hired by the Sultan—either to rescue his sister, or to avenge her.

Maybe you're a journalist itching for a story, a priest tormented by nightmares, an anguished Austrian composer, a scientist racked with boredom, a friar or nun seeking absolution, or a surgeon escaped from the dungeon. Or some other doomed soul desperate enough to take up arms and seek treasure in dark places.

The land is a churning cauldron of mystery, intrigue, and war. The woods are filled with moonlight and magic, and the moutains are perforated with tombs older than any Christian grave. Strange beasts roam the moors at night, the balefires of the spirit world are alight again.

Edit: The game is now full, with a waiting list in case anyone drops out. Now we'll see if I can handle the zany ruckus that they shall wreak.